Father of Foucauld and General Laperrine
Charles de FOUCAULD was born on September 15, 1858 into an aristocratic family in STRASBOURG. At five years old he lost his mother, and his father shortly after. The orphans are entrusted to their maternal grandfather, Colonel de MORLET. Secondary studies in NANCY then in PARIS with the Jesuits where he passed his Baccalaureate and began the year of preparation for Saint-Cyr.
In 1876, he entered Saint-Cyr “Promotion ‘de PLEWNA’ No. 61; 1876-1878 » In October 1878, he entered the SAUMUR Cavalry School from which he left in 1879, dead last... In 1880, while garrisoned with the 4th Hussard in PONT-à-MOUSSON, his regiment (renamed 4th African Hunters) was sent to ALGERIA. But a few months later, he was placed on non-activity for “indiscipline coupled with notorious misconduct”. He was removed from the controls on April 8, 1881.
He returns to live in FRANCE, in EVIAN. On May 14, 1881, he learned that his regiment was engaged in dangerous action in ALGERIA. He requested reinstatement and joined his comrades at MASCARA on June 22. For 8 months he showed himself to be an excellent officer appreciated by both his leaders and the soldiers.
In 1882, seduced by North Africa, he resigned from the Army and settled in ALGIERS to prepare scientifically and at his own expense, the exploration of MOROCCO. In 1885, he received the gold medal from the French Geographical Society for this work. During his numerous travels, he discovered the faith of Muslims; the religious question awakens in him. On the advice of his cousin, he went to meet Father HUVELIN of the Saint AUGUSTIN church in PARIS.
At that moment, the young officer's life turned upside down. It is October 1886. The young convert chose to give everything to God. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, on January 16, 1890 he entered the monastery of Notre-Dame des neiges, among the Trappists in Ardèche; he takes the name of Brother Marie-Albéric. “As soon as I believed that there was a God, I understood that I could not do otherwise than to live only for Him; my religious vocation dates from the same time as my faith; God is so great. There is such a difference between God and everything that is not Him…” he wrote.
On March 6, 1897, he left the Trappists with the aim of stripping himself even further; he enters the Poor Clares of NAZARETH. He leads a domestic life. In 1900, he returned to FRANCE to begin studying for the priesthood. He was ordained priest on June 9, 1901, at the age of forty-three, in the chapel of the major seminary of VIVIERS (Ardèche).
Then he left for ALGERIA where he lived as a hermit, in BENI-ABBES, a life punctuated by Prayer and the Eucharist. He maintains contacts with the country's Muslims, takes care of the poorest, and helps black slaves. He would like to evangelize the Tuaregs and decides to learn their language. On August 13, 1905, he arrived in TAMANRASSET (southwest of ALGERIA) where he built a new hermitage: the FREGATE. He builds very strong ties with these people.
On the evening of December 1, 1916 Brother Charles lost his life.
In 1876, he entered Saint-Cyr “Promotion ‘de PLEWNA’ No. 61; 1876-1878 » In October 1878, he entered the SAUMUR Cavalry School from which he left in 1879, dead last... In 1880, while garrisoned with the 4th Hussard in PONT-à-MOUSSON, his regiment (renamed 4th African Hunters) was sent to ALGERIA. But a few months later, he was placed on non-activity for “indiscipline coupled with notorious misconduct”. He was removed from the controls on April 8, 1881.
He returns to live in FRANCE, in EVIAN. On May 14, 1881, he learned that his regiment was engaged in dangerous action in ALGERIA. He requested reinstatement and joined his comrades at MASCARA on June 22. For 8 months he showed himself to be an excellent officer appreciated by both his leaders and the soldiers.
In 1882, seduced by North Africa, he resigned from the Army and settled in ALGIERS to prepare scientifically and at his own expense, the exploration of MOROCCO. In 1885, he received the gold medal from the French Geographical Society for this work. During his numerous travels, he discovered the faith of Muslims; the religious question awakens in him. On the advice of his cousin, he went to meet Father HUVELIN of the Saint AUGUSTIN church in PARIS.
At that moment, the young officer's life turned upside down. It is October 1886. The young convert chose to give everything to God. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, on January 16, 1890 he entered the monastery of Notre-Dame des neiges, among the Trappists in Ardèche; he takes the name of Brother Marie-Albéric. “As soon as I believed that there was a God, I understood that I could not do otherwise than to live only for Him; my religious vocation dates from the same time as my faith; God is so great. There is such a difference between God and everything that is not Him…” he wrote.
On March 6, 1897, he left the Trappists with the aim of stripping himself even further; he enters the Poor Clares of NAZARETH. He leads a domestic life. In 1900, he returned to FRANCE to begin studying for the priesthood. He was ordained priest on June 9, 1901, at the age of forty-three, in the chapel of the major seminary of VIVIERS (Ardèche).
Then he left for ALGERIA where he lived as a hermit, in BENI-ABBES, a life punctuated by Prayer and the Eucharist. He maintains contacts with the country's Muslims, takes care of the poorest, and helps black slaves. He would like to evangelize the Tuaregs and decides to learn their language. On August 13, 1905, he arrived in TAMANRASSET (southwest of ALGERIA) where he built a new hermitage: the FREGATE. He builds very strong ties with these people.
On the evening of December 1, 1916 Brother Charles lost his life.